Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Namine crossed her arms across her chest, not pulling her sleeve back down. Obviously Roxas had seen how Jeff had hurt her, and that was what stopped his question short of completion. Of course, he had hurt her by pushing her up against the wall, too, but the cut was the worst injury she had received.

 

Roxas felt a wave of rage rush through him, causing him to tighten his fists. "He's dead," he said darkly, closing his eyes. He hurt Namine for the last time, and because this was the worst it had ever gotten, Jeff was going to get the worst of his own well-deserved punishment.

 

Namine closed her eyes and lowered her head, hearing Roxas' words. "He's gone," she informed him, her back still towards him. "I went to a court hearing the day before you got back. He was sent away some place." She was glad for that, because it meant Jeff wasn't allowed within a hundred feet of her after everything he did to her.

 

Roxas's jaw flexed. It didn't matter to him that Jeff was sent away; justice and vengeance were still something he believed in. He was glad that Jeff was away from Namine, yeah, but it wasn't good enough for him. "And Ty?" he managed.

 

Namine felt a tear slide down her cheek and she instantly brought up a hand to wipe it away. "He'll be fine," she said softly. "He's at the vet. He got about three surgeries after that." She remembered seeing Ty perfectly that night; he had a cut on his back leg, one over his stomach, and one that cut off a tip of his ear. It had been an awful sight, and Namine felt herself cry harder at the mental picture of it.

 

Roxas lowered his head slightly, opening his eyes to stare at the floor. All of this... It was horrible. "Sorry...that I wasn't here," he said after an exhale, trying to calm himself. If he were here, nothing would have gone that far. Namine would be alright, Ty wouldn't be at the vet, but Jeff would certainly be at the doctor.

 

Namine's shoulders shook at the sobs, the girl unable to respond because she was crying too hard again. She was sorry he wasn't there too, but there wasn't anything that could have been done. Ty, though...he had protected her. He had gotten badly hurt because of her. She loved that dog, and she missed him terribly. She couldn't believe Roxas hadn't noticed her sorrow before this point.

 

Roxas just stood there. What could he do? Namine wouldn't so much as even look at him now. Approaching her physically and trying to comfort her... That seemed out of the question now. All he could do was stay where he was, briefly glancing at the sobbing girl before his eyes fell back to the floor, his heart squeezing.

 

Namine bit down on her lip, trying to control her sobs. She hated breaking down. She hated that now that she had verbally said what happened, her emotions were surfacing. She hadn't allowed herself to cry over everything until this very moment, and it broke her heart that she wasn't as strong as she thought she was.

 

The sound of Namine's sobs made Roxas wince, his eyebrows furrowing as he closed his eyes. "Please don't cry," he begged softly, the dark and harsh tone in his voice beginning to vanish at the sorrow that surrounded him. Roxas had dealt with so much already, and he didn't think he could handle hearing the person he loved cry like this. She was suffering, which in turn made his heart feel darker. Roxas wasn't even supposed to hear her cry, because he had sworn to have anything but that happen.

 

Namine brought a hand to her mouth as she shut her eyes, the sobs dying down. Roxas' request had gone along with what she naturally wanted, so her crying was slowing. She felt a few more tears slide down her cheeks as she stayed silent, shoulders slumping as she calmed herself down.

 

"After everything..." Roxas started, his voice showing his growing sadness and vulnerability, "I don't think I can handle that." He opened his eyes to stare at the ground sadly, his fists tightening at the emotions raging within him. Too much was happening lately, and it was confusing him and throwing him into turmoil. And not just him, but obviously Namine too.

 

Namine couldn't find the words to speak, so she stayed silent, lowering her head as her tears slowly faded away. She knew that she wanted to follow Roxas' request for his sake, though in her head, she was questioning why. He had been awfully cruel just a few minutes ago, speaking to her very coldly and prying the truth out of her. That was the reality of the situation, but Namine quieted her crying despite all of that.

 

Roxas let the silence linger, but despite his efforts, he realized he had made a mistake. His anger had gotten out of control, and with Namine of all people. He really was different--a truly darker Roxas. He wasn't sure he liked that, and the realization made him grind his teeth together. What was he doing?

 

Namine sniffled, her last tear running down her cheek. She suddenly felt drained--physically, mentally, and emotionally. She hadn't realized just how large of a burden she had been carrying on her own, but now that it was in the open, it felt like an even bigger burden. It feels like there's always something wrong, she realized miserably, bringing her hand away from her mouth as she wiped at the trails the tears had left.

 

Get your act together in front of her, Roxas! As much as he wished it was that easy, it wasn't. Look at what you did, he told himself. You made her cry. Nice going. Roxas lowered his head, letting out a faint sound of disgust with himself. He really had changed, and as unhappy as he was about it, he couldn't help but live with it. This was who he truly was now, and nothing was ever going to change that. Obviously Namine's presence didn't do much, though he thought he was a little more lighthearted earlier. Guess nothing can truly push your darkness away...

 

Namine took a step back and lowered herself onto the couch, her back still towards Roxas. Pull it together, girl, she told herself, head spinning from her sickness and from her emotions. You're an emotional train-wreck. You're supposed to be stronger than this... She let out a silent breath in frustration, bringing a hand to her forehead as she tried to calm down completely.

 

Roxas swallowed at the thoughts. Just accept it, he convinced himself. There's nothing you can do but accept your new life. This one has been a lie to you all along. The one you have now is from your true memories, your true experiences. That was right. His life before had been a lie. He had been acting on a false personality, one that would "throw off his pursuers", as Riku had said DiZ so kindly put it.

 

Namine gritted her teeth together, tears reappearing in her eyes. Forget it. She didn't care about being strong anymore. She didn't want to live her life feeling apathetic because she buried all her emotions deep in her heart. She brought up her legs and wrapped her arms around them as she laid her head in her knees.

 

But...Namine. Roxas's head instantly lifted, his eyes darting to the girl on the couch. He couldn't see her face, but he didn't need to in order to know how she was. With his new point of view, did that mean she was a lie as well? Everything he had with her, it wasn't true? But when he thought back to Castle Oblivion, he had to keep questioning it. Things were too messed up there, so he didn't want to think about it anymore.